Are you a Birdline addict

[colinaj]

I ring Birdline occasionally but it is usually if I am going into Norfolk. I don't go & see the birds but use it to keep away from the crowds & find something myself.

I do ring bIrdline to see what if any Seawatching as produced elsewhere & I do submit my own sightings too.

Does anyone actually use it to decide where they are going the weekend or are you like me, work a local Patch & hope to find your own birds?

Bill Oddie once said in lit that the Birdlines should have another number for Patchworkers so that common birds can be put on.

I know several birders who would rather see a Nuthatch, Lesser spotted Woodpecker & other scarce but locally common birds than chase after birds that may not survive long anyway.

What sort of information does Twitching give to the big picture, because after all it is only a bird that has turned up by mistake.

I have put on my tin hat & gone into my bunker in preperation for the bombardment.
Caj

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

Not gonna get any flack from me i agree with you 100%, i generally just go to the same places and it's so brilliant when you see something out of the ordinary.

For example i was made up when 3 Wigeon used the pond for a day, or when we get Goosander on. The highlight of last winter was seeing a flock of Crossbills and 18 Bullfinch together

Twitching doesn't interest me at all tbh, i'd much rather work my local patches and hope to see something different occasionally.

[Ollie]

I'm the same as Lincs Yellowbelly. Never rang Birdline. I have three or four local patches that I try to get to as often as time allows, vary rarely do I travel more than 15/20 miles to do my birdwatching. Suppose I am lucky in the fact that I can get to the coast in that 15/20 miles, so the variety of birds I can hope to see is quite good.

Some people will probably say I am missing out on a lot of birds by staying so local, but I'm happy with what I get to see and at the end of the day that's what counts.

I've no problem with anyone twitching, everyone to their own.
Roger

[colinaj]

I see around 190 species around my local area but would not go say ten miles up the road for a Hoopoe cos I would rather have one on my! patch.

I cannot see anything scientific about twitiching but it is ones choice to do that if they want. It is just not for me at all.

Like other posters I enjoy having two Oystercatchers on the Denes in Winter than chasing after Snow Buntings & Shorelarks on someone elses patch.

It always amazes me though that it is the same people whofindsthe rare birds when the Suffolk bird report comes out, but after 30 years of working Lowestoft why do I not find any?

Caj

[glsammy]

I'm with the stay local lot. I didn't even know about Birdline!
My local range is actually about 35miles.. I go to Whisby in Lincolnshire, Carsington in Derbyshire, Priory Waters in Leicestershire. All these are about the same distance, I also go to Attenborough, Rufford Park and Clumber Park my real local sites. I never go looking for anything in particular, I just make the most of what's there the same time I'm there. I've had some really exciting sightings this past twelve months so it's good enough for me!

[speckled wood]

Not wanting to suggest anything but a read of a few old butterfly and moth book will reveal that it was not unsure for rare species to be released in new areas to be "discovered", I do sometimes wonder whether this still goes on.

Although I am a butterfly watcher rather than a birder there was a certain pleasure in seeing 30 + Waxwings in the trees by the local Adsa a couple of years back and again of seeing six Oyster Catchers on a local golf course in July of last year.

[canonman]

Hi Yellowbelly
I'm the same just stay in my local area, unless going on hol's never get bored always something to see
Mick

[chunkychambers]

Live and let live I say!!

If you prefer your local patch fine, if you want to go further afield fine, why is there this "Holier than thou" attitude to twitchers?

This kind of topic has been done to death on here, there was a large thread on the same subject only last week where many posters gave their frank and detailed opinions.

Once again, I think they are an easy target for some reason. In my capacity as warden on two areas of wildlife land, I have never come across badly behaved twitchers, and I can't understand some peoples attitude towards them.

Give it a rest!! While writing this reply I've decided not to post again on this subject, on any thread.
Unless I change my mind. lol

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

I don't think any posts on this thread are having a "go" at Twitchers to be fair

[eeyore]

I know of one warden who used to feed misinformation to birdline in order to bump up his visitor numbers and thus his reserves takings, when hundreds of twitchers turned up but couldnt find the lesser plumed womble snaffler or whatever , well thats birding innit , you dont always find the thing you are looking for

He got busted because when I had a red footed falcon turn up on the reserve i worked on at that time and the boss tried to report it bird line were fairly sceptical....

[matt_xyz]

why do Waxwings always turn up at supermarket carparks?

Matt

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

why do Waxwings always turn up at supermarket carparks?

Matt

they are buying candles to touch up their wings ...

[canonman]

Hi Eeyore
Sounds like a nice sort of chap, makes you wonder how many others might have done the same
Mick

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by canonman

Hi Eeyore
Sounds like a nice sort of chap, makes you wonder how many others might have done the same
Mick

yeah a prince among men - I dont think it is a wide spread practice as most wardens arent that mercenary , he got a diciplinary which served him right and has subsequently left the proffesion.

Mind you the real fault lay with the target driven attitude at head office which was rating wardens according to how many visitors they managed to attract. Funnily enough the target scheme was scrapped soon after this went down

[canonman]

Hi
Now that is a surprise, wonder why made them do that
Mick

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by chunkychambers

In my capacity as warden on two areas of wildlife land, I have never come across badly behaved twitchers,

I've been a bird warden too and i agree that twitchers are rarely ill behaved, the people who did get royally on my nibbly bits tho were bird racers

" I want to se a stone curlew, and I want to see it NOW, even if it means running across the heath and putting it off its eggs , cos my bird race score is more important than their long term survival"

Is there room in that bunker for two ?